‘Best before’ and ‘Use-by’ dates

On this page

• Best before and Use-by
• Storage Requirements

Best before and Use-by

Food labels have date marks to tell us about the safe shelf life of foods. These date marks help us tell how long food can be kept before it begins to deteriorate. All food with a date mark of less than two years must be date marked.

USE BUY - foods must be eaten or thrown away by that date.

• After this date foods may be unsafe to eat even if they look fine because the nutrients in the food may become unstable or a build-up of bacteria may occur.
• It is illegal to sell foods after their use-by date has expired.
• Common use-by foods include milk, sliced ham, and shaved meats.

BEST BEFORE - foods are still safe to eat after this date as long as they are not damaged, deteriorated or perished.

• The best before date simply indicates that the product may have lost some its quality after this date passes.
• Foods can be legally sold after the best before date (as long as they are not damaged, deteriorated or perished.)
• You can expect these foods to retain their colour, taste, texture and flavour as long as they are stored correctly.
• Common best before foods include canned foods, cereals, biscuits, sauces, chocolate, sugar, flour and frozen foods.

Storage Requirements

To make sure food lasts until its use-by date, it’s important to follow storage instructions, such as ‘Keep Refrigerated’ and ‘Store in a cool, dark place’.

If a product requires specific storage instructions to remain safe until its use-by or best before date, manufacturers have to include this information on a label.

To enjoy your food and avoid food poisoning, it’s also important to follow any preparation or cooking instructions shown on the label, including heating and defrosting times. Again, manufacturers have to provide preparation directions on food labels for any foods which require specific preparation to ensure they are safe.

Following such instructions is extremely important because they can help you to kill any harmful bacteria which may be present naturally in some foods.

For further information on safe handling of foods click on a link below.

• Correct cooking temps
• Safe handling of fresh fruit and vegetables
• Safe handling of poultry and red meat